Book review: ‘Walking with God in the Unimpressive Seasons of Life’
“Walking with God in the Unimpressive Seasons of Life.” By Father Mike Schmitz. Maryland: Word Among Us Press, 2024. 64 pages. Paperback: $9.95; Kindle: $9.95
When I first looked at Father Mike Schmitz’s new book, “Walking with God in the Unimpressive Seasons of Life,” my first reaction was that it, too, was somewhat unimpressive. It was so short to begin with, and the actual text only appears on the right-hand page. The left side is a pulled-quote from what is said on the right.
However, the encouraging reviews from others plus a very befitting photo on the cover of a decidedly unimpressed polar bear, led me to believe that first impressions are not always the most accurate ones.
It turns out that on that point, I was correct.
Father Schmitz approaches his subject in three, easy-to-read chapters. The first is called “One Small Step,” the second, “Silence is Not Absence,” and finally, “Just Show Up.”
Let’s take a look at each one.
“One Small Step” is all about underestimating, not God, but our own contribution to God’s overall plan for humankind. The dramatic moments of conversion and clarity of purpose – think St. Paul here – don’t happen to very many of us. And yet, our everyday decisions, in the everydayness of our lives, have a profound effect on whether or not we live up to the potential God sees in us. “Saints,” Schmitz says, “are just people who didn’t underestimate who God needed them to be.” Like us, many of them did it one small step, one small decision, at a time. But another thing that set them apart, and which we too are capable of, is living by “one, unifying principle” which, as Father Schmitz says, means “knowing Jesus and making Him known.” If this is your touchstone, even the small moments in your life will lead you to become the kind of person God intended you to be.
The second chapter, entitled “Silence is Not Absence,” involves the whole concept of time and learning to wait through tough times. “We can’t underestimate how important and necessary even the lowest times in our life are,” Father Schmitz says. Just because God seems hidden and inactive doesn’t mean that He is. God needs our trust in order to accomplish His plan in us, and trust is something that takes both time and often adversity to develop. Schmitz likens it to growing a Chinese bamboo; you plant the seed and tend it for four years and, to all appearances, absolutely nothing is happening. Out of sight, however, the plant has been developing a root system so wide and deep that, in the fifth year, it grows up to ninety feet tall in five weeks. That time of waiting is when God is developing our “roots” so to speak, so that when the time comes, remarkable things will happen. “May we never underestimate what God is doing,” Father Schmitz says, “when He seems to be doing nothing.”
Finally, Father Schmitz advises us to “just show up.” We often think that in order to be effective, something has to be a “peak” experience. Certainly, life contains those, but the vast majority of our years will be lived in ordinary and what seem like unimpressive ways. However, it’s important that we not only keep showing up, but that we are present to the moments in which we live.
My husband has a saying about observing wildlife that fits well here: “If you aren’t watching when they aren’t there, then you won’t be watching when they are.”
Father Schmitz points to the story of Anna, the widow who prayed night and day in the temple. Her life could easily be described as unimpressive, but imagine what she would have missed had she not continued to show up and be present where God wanted her. But she was there, and so, one day, were Mary, Joseph and the infant Jesus.
Your life may seem unimpressive, but God has a purpose for it all. Just show up and see where He leads you.
Author bio:
Father Mike Schmitz is a priest, speaker, author, and podcaster, and the chaplain for the Newman Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He is the director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Duluth. Host of “The Bible in a Year” and “The Catechism in a Year” podcasts, Father Schmitz is also the author of multiple books, including “A World Undone” and “Don’t Be Afraid to Say Yes to God.”